Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of free India. He shaped and guided the destiny of the country from 1947 till his death on May 27, 1964. Apart from being a good administrator, he was a prolific writer, a wonderful orator and a great freedom fighter.
Though he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he gave up any craving for wealth, status or personal comfort and joined Mahatma Gandhi in his struggle for independence of the country. He was his closest and most trustworthy follower. His leader’s sudden death came as a big shock for him. In his address to the Nation, Nehru bemoaned:
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The light has gone out and there is darkness all around us.
Nehru was born on November 14, 1989 at Allahabad in U.P. His father, Shri Moti Lai Nehru, was a leading lawyer of his time. Owing to the rich status of his father, Jawaharlal was brought up like a prince and had his early education at home.
Image Source : telegraphindia.com
His tutors were mostly British. He had his higher education from Harrow and Cambridge in England. He had keen interest in ancient and modern political ideology, which made him an eminent historian and a distinguished political leader. He had, however, returned with a degree in law from England.
While fighting for India’s independence, he spent the prime of his life in jail. This gave him ample time to write a lot. His books ‘Glimpses of World History’ & ‘Discovery of India’ have earned him name amongst well-known international writers.
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Even his letters, written to his daughter, Indira Gandhi, from time to time from jail, are quite interesting, informative and thought provoking. His writings give a true picture of his deep love for India and the Indian people.
Actually speaking, Jawaharlal Nehru was the man who laid a solid foundation for the successful functioning of democracy in his country. He made sincere efforts for the development by initiating industrialization, starting work on dams and opening new colleges and universities. He used to call our dams ‘the temples of modern India’.
He ensured free and fair general elections after every five years and allowed absolute freedom to the legislature, executive wing of the government and judiciary to work independently. He never came in the way of independent press.
India became a focus for the whole world during the Prime Minister ship of Nehru. It began to look towards us for safeguarding peace and leadership. Nehru raised his full voice for the freedom of many Asian and African countries.
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He was the father of Non-Aligned Movement and spread the message of ‘Panchsheel’. India’s views on world issues were given due weight age in the United Nations.
The children of the country were immensely dear to this great man. He saw in them the real future of his country. He was deeply grieved to see that many of them were deprived of the facilities, necessary for growth and development.
Children also loved Nehru from the core of their heart. They called him ‘Chacha Nehru’. His birthday is celebrated with great fervor as the ‘Children’s Day’ on November 14.